Israel, much like the fortress of Tel-Chai that Jospeh Trumpeldor fought to defend against Arab conquerors in 1920, finds itself beseiged by enemies both within and without. Terrorists, would-be friends inside and outside Israel, and even bad government officials. Here are the discussions of one proud Zionist resident on the state of the nation and abroad.

Monday, November 03, 2014

Flatbush yeshiva's offensive modesty patrol

The co-ed yeshiva of Flatbush has been obsessing themselves with how female students dress, and from what the New York Post describes, it sounds very disgusting:

Female students at ­Yeshiva of Flatbush are outraged that two monitors were hired this school year to patrol hallways for exposed collarbones and calves.

The modesty crackdown comes as the school enforces a new, stricter dress code, including longer skirts.

“We’re walking in and we’re being scrutinized every morning,” said 16-year-old senior Melissa Duchan. “We can’t just walk in the halls because everyone’s looking at us and judging us every second for our clothing. Obviously, it’s degrading.”

“They’re overly harsh,” agreed senior classmate Jaclyn Klein, 17. “They scream at you. They bring down your confidence. One time, I got pushed into a corner by this one lady who stood in the front . . . and she said, ‘You better go change your skirt right now.’”

Two mothers called the inspections by the modern Orthodox day school “horrible.”

Duchan wrote a desperate letter to her school in September, published on the Jewish news site JTA, begging administrators to “stop the madness” and describing the skirt-chasers as “predatory” who make female students “feel hunted.” [...]

Duchan said that in her private meeting with school officials, she was told the two female fashion cops are not Jews. “They want to make it not like a Jewish thing,” she said. “They just want you to follow the rules of the school, so they specifically hired non-Jewish people.”

Last May, the school officials tried to drum up the dress code enforcement themselves but were met with hostility, recalled Duchan, who was insulted by a scolding. “[The administrator] said . . . ‘You’re a smart girl, why do you dress like that?’

“They put a stop to that because parents complained. They were acting like it reflects on your self-worth — what length skirt you wear!”

“It’s terrible,” fumed a mother who wouldn’t give her name in fear of yeshiva backlash. “We’re spending this money to send them to the schools … the rules are just wrong.”

I have to agree. In fact, hiring non-Jews is no excuse for how they're enforcing their exaggerated dress code. I even think the parents should call the police, and should also remove their children from that school and save a lot of money. What better time could there be than to homeschool? This is another stain on the Orthodox community. Much like the case with Barry Freundel, it could also discourage converts to Orthodox Judaism from bothering if they think this is all adherents are concerned about. It's clear the people running the yeshiva now are not qualified if they're going to be petty and creepy.

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About me

I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.